#poor Ajak has witnessed everything of course

[softquietsteadylove]

For the Doctor AU

5 times Gil tried to tell her he wants more and one time he finally get to tell her👀

This time, he thinks.

He slept over last night--not like that, though. They have yet to do anything intimate outside of the hospital. But he likes sleeping over at Thena's whether they make love or not. Because he likes being with her.

That's what he's been trying to tell her, at least, but they always end up not talking about that. They talk about work, and their days, and whatever they're watching while they eat takeout. And maybe they end up making out a little bit.

He has yet to manage to ask her out in any proper way.

Part of him is a little worried she doesn't want that--just wants to be friends. But he also knows Thena, and he knows she feels what he does (or at least something akin to it). Because he can see it in her eyes when they're drifting off on her couch, or when they kiss, or when he calls her his 'wife' when they're at work.

"Coffee?"

"Fuck yes," Gil answers instantly, and they both laugh as she offers him his mug. It's not just a mug, it's his mug. He has a couple of things that are his here at her place.

Thena sighs into her own cup of coffee pod 'vanilla latte'. As if they're not going to get some from the coffee kiosk at the hospital as soon as they get to work, anyway.

Gil watches her hold her hair back as she tips the mug back to chug it in her haste. She's so impatient it's a wonder she ever became a doctor. She's also cute.

Thena blinks as he pushes her hair behind her ear for her. Her mug is empty now, although she looks into the bottom of it to keep herself from looking at him.

Gil moves his fingers down her jaw so he can tip her chin up, slowly and gently. He leans down, kissing her, morning coffee breath and all. She leans into it, happily kissing him back on the tips of her toes.

She deepens the kiss, looping her arms around his neck and leaning into him more. He receives her, his arms around her lithe waist. Their tongues swipe against each other and their different mixes of coffee blend together.

"Fuck!"

Thena sinks back to her heels as she rips her beeper off her hip with a fury. She huffs, "I'm already on my way, they can't wait fifteen minutes?"

"What is it?" he asks, although his disappointment is also evident in his face and tone.

"Nothing too bad, but the trauma surgeon from upstairs is stuck in a procedure and the children are panicking." She looked up at him with an apologetic smile, tossing her mug in the sink and reaching for her backpack, "sorry, Ajak needs me."

He shakes his head with a smile, leaving half of his coffee in his mug on the counter and following her out the door, "duty calls."

Okay, maybe this time.

"Hey, Thena-"

"A bit busy, here, chap."

Gil blinks at the acerbic reception. Eros has never liked him, although he's not sure if it's a surgeon thing, or if he's just a little stuck up or what. "Sorry."

"Gil," Thena nods him in though, over to her side as she looks at the x-rays they have spread out.

Eros glares at him the whole time.

"Patient is late 50s, has thin blood, we've got what might be the beginning of a heart murmur on scans," she runs through the details, pointing to the chest x-rays as needed.

"And if I open him up within the week," Eros interjects eagerly, clicking the pen from his white coat pocket. "I can have that taken care of."

Gil makes a face.

"Exactly," Thena pats the back of her hand against where his shoulder meets his chest (right over his heart).

Eros raises a brow, but he doesn't have any of his unpleasant attitude for Thena, it seems.

"I mean," Gil shrugs, but Thena encourages him to go on, despite the surgeon in the room mentally willing him to shut his damn mouth. He slips his hands in his hoodie pockets, "do we really wanna open up someone at this age just for a murmur?"

Thena turns to Eros with her arms crossed, obviously vindicated, "see?"

Eros manages a smile for the lady (which is more than he managed for Gil, that's for sure). "A pacemaker is not a guarantee, my dear. It is a temporary solution that could be solved with a heart stint."

"I don't know, man," Gil continues to argue, not that anyone asked him. Eros makes it very clear that no one asked for him to go on, but Thena leans closer to him, and that's all he needs for support. "The recovery from even a simple surgery is tough."

"And poking around an old man's aorta is needlessly risky," Thena ads, moving her crossed arms to put her hands on her hips. "We can insert a pacemaker endoscopically and have him home in 48 hours."

Eros sighs, but maybe he's not up for being teamed on because he gives up on his argument. He gives Thena a little smile, "most people who call me for a consult want my opinion."

Thena doesn't even glance at it, still focused on the case at hand. "I wanted a second opinion, and it happened to be yours."

"You really know how to shatter an ego, don't you?" Gil looks at Eros, wondering if he's imagining the flirtatious tone he's using. Is he?

"Egos don't fall under the umbrella of emergency medicine," she sasses right back at him as she collects up the chest x-rays and scans. She knows what she needs to, "therefore: not my problem."

Eros practically swoons in her direction, "careful, Thena. You'll break some hearts with that attitude."

"Well then I'll send them your way," she mutters, and it's really making small talk so she can leave and get back to her patient.

But Gil can see how one might mistake it for returning a playful jab. He looks at Eros, who now has heart eyes for all the world to see. Gil wonders if it's been like this the whole time--if he's always been this way with her.

Has Eros not liked him this whole time because he has a thing for Thena?

"Thanks for your time," Thena mutters, now eager to return to her patient with both good news and having been proven right (two of her favourite things as a doctor).

"Adieu, my lovely," Eros practically sighs.

Okay, buddy, take it down a notch. Gil tries not to give him a funny look as he opens the door for Thena and follows her out.

This time was promising.

That is, until Ajak swept Thena's arm into hers and all but dragged her into the closest bar to the hospital. Thena had managed to grab the corner of his hoodie and pull him along.

Now he's the official drink watcher, four different cocktails gathered under him like ducklings hiding from a hawk. It's not so bad, he supposes. He is sitting down after a long day, and one of these drinks is Thena's.

She's not nearly as into it as the other Emerge staff who followed them, but for Ajak's sake, she's here, and she's doing her best to have a good time. She's had half of a single vodka cran, while Ajak is somehow on her sixth tequila shot and hasn't even blinked.

"Nurses are a different breed."

Gil smiles as she sits down right next to him, watching as Ajak finds new victims to dance with her. Indeed, the other night nurses swarm around her, all of them dancing out the strife of their unreasonable working hours.

Thena reaches under him for the rest of her drink. "Sorry."

He looks at her, surprised as she sheepishly takes a sip from the dinky little cocktail straw in her glass.

"I've blown off Ajak ten times for every one, now, but-" she sighs, giving him her cutest pout and with those big, beautiful eyes of hers (unfair). "I didn't want to come without you."

"Hey, I'm not allergic to a drink after work," he chuckles, and sees the relief on her face straight away (she's more of a lightweight than she thinks she is). He motions around his brood of drinks, "besides, I'm here on important business."

She laughs, and he loves that sound. "Yes, you are taking up a very important vigil for us."

Gil shrugs, looking down at the drinks getting more watery by the second in the warmth of the bar. None of them are his; he opted to be the designated driver in case everyone - including his work wife - wanted to get drunk. "I don't mind."

Thena leans closer to him in her seat; he does the same. "I knew you wouldn't. I guess the girls felt the same."

Gil grins at her, "should I take that as a compliment, or that they don't see me as an eligible bachelor?"

Jokes aside, Thena looks at him, "are you?"

Gil looks at her too, gulping down the bait eagerly, "am I?"

Thena shifts in her seat, looking down at her pathetic single shot drink again. She tugs at the 3/4 sleeves of her white sweater. "W-Well-"

"Gil!"

He only looks at Ajak for a second, but he can see that look in her eye. He shakes his head, "no!"

"Gil," she sing-songs to him again, swaying her way over to him.

"No, no, no," he shakes his head more fervently, leaning closer to Thena for protection, "I'm the drink watcher."

"Thena's here now," Ajak waves off as she reaches to drag him up by the hoodie. She sinks her claws into him before looking at Thena, "you don't mind if we steal him, do you?"

He looks at her, pleading for help.

Thena laughs, "all yours."

He pouts at her as Ajak drags him to the circle of other night nurses shouting their glee, "betrayed by my own wife!"

Okay, this isn't a great time, he'll admit that.

Thena is in the field with him and Kingo. They got a call for a car accident with more injured than just he and Kingo could handle. Kingo is driving while she's in the back of the bus with him.

"That's quite a few," Thena mutters as she looks over the details sent by the dispatchers. It's at least two cars worth. "Why are there so many?"

"It was a kid in his 20s who called it in," Gil adds, leaning over her shoulder, "maybe there's more than five of them per car."

Thena huffs, snapping on some gloves with a particular fury, "kids."

As soon as the doors are open, they hear the screech of brakes and the crunch of metal against metal.

Gil looks down at her. She's wincing. "Thena?"

She shakes her head; she's shifting her weight from one foot to the other. Her leg is bothering her.

"Hey," Gil whispers, bending slightly to look at her. He moves in front of her, blocking off the sight of the crash (that just seems to be getting worse and worse). "Hey, it's me."

She looks at him then, and he can see that she's trying to keep a grip on herself.

He still thinks about that night--finding her pinned under that car. He still wonders if it would have happened at all if he had been by her side.

"Thena," he calls to her, pulling her eyes until they can lock onto his. He leans close to her, "just focus on me."

She nods faintly, her rapid breathing just starting to slow.

"That's it," he whispers, doing what he can to offer her shelter in the middle of the chaos that's already around them. "Just breathe."

She does so. If anything it sounds like it's hard for her to do, at the moment.

"I'm right here, baby," he whispers, letting his lips brush over her forehead. If he could sweep her into his arms and cuddle and kiss her better, he would. But this isn't the place, and it certainly isn't the time. "Just focus on me."

Thena gives her head one more shake, her ponytail flailing behind her. She sniffs back the beginning of tears and nods.

"Yeah?" he asks, giving her a long look to determine if she can do this or if she needs to tap out and call for someone else.

"Yeah," she nods. She's not her usual self, but even on an off day, she's more than strong enough to handle this. She snaps her gloves again and looks towards the wreckage--now complete with a third car in the pileup, "yeah."

"Okay," Gil whispers, following her lead as she runs to assist Kingo.

This time is at least better than last time.

The day hasn't been too bad. Thena's part way through a 24 hour shift while he's at the tail end of an 18-er. They're stealing what little rest they can in an on-call room.

And he does mean rest. Thena was already asleep when he found her and he crawled into bed with her less than two hours ago. He dozed off for a little bit and now he's just watching her.

She is so beautiful.

She doesn't wear makeup, because why would she in this line of work? Maybe she has mascara or something, but he's pretty sure that's just how lovely she is, all on her own. Her skin is flushed from sleep, and the hair curtained around her cheeks is mussed from tossing and turning.

How he loves her.

Thena turns over from being the little spoon. She always turns over so violently in her sleep--she doesn't just roll over, she turns and jerks and kicks. It's cute, though.

Gil rubs her back as she snuggles into him. This is an old song and dance for them, now. He sighs as he smells vanilla. She's using a new shampoo. She's been really into vanilla as of late.

"Gil," she sighs, but that doesn't mean she's awake.

He kisses her forehead, "honey?"

"Gil," she purrs again, stretching against him like a cat and pushing her nose into his shoulder. She giggles a little.

God, she'll be the death of him. He tickles her cheek with the back of his finger, "you awake, sweetie?"

"Hm," she groans, and that's Thena awake. She would never willingly be so adorable when she's conscious enough to feel embarrassed. "How long?"

He looks at his watch, "three-ish?--maybe four?"

"Not bad," she grumbles, going limp again after her stretching. She yawns against his shirt, and the heat of her breath makes the rest of him shiver. Her hand grasps at his hoodie, pulling it more over her. "You?"

"Maybe an hour or two," he whispers, pulling her closer and letting her steal all of his warmth that she wants.

She sighs, finally looking up at him. She blinks slowly, because everything about her is lazy and reluctant when she first wakes up in the morning.

She kisses him first this time. But he's all too happy to kiss her back, lips meeting lips in the silent on-call room. He can still hear the bustle of the of the hospital outside, but in here, it's just him and Thena.

Thena whimpers as he kisses her a little more firmly. "There's no time."

"I know," he whispers back. It doesn't stop him.

She doesn't stop either, letting her tongue slide against his, morning breath aside. Her hand tangles into his and she arches her back slightly, knocking her dainty little shoulder against his meaty one.

"Thena," he whispers, and it comes out a little rough. His watch beeps and she rolls her eyes. "I told you there was no time."

"Fine, go," she flops onto the on-call bed again as if he's dropped her from six feet up.

He chuckles, kissing the corner of her lips, "sorry, sweetheart. Next time."

"Hm," she crosses her arms at him as he climbs over her to get out of bed. She rolls over into his spot, "leave the hoodie."

"And where is yours?" he asks, even as he's pulling off his work hoodie to leave it for her.

"At home," she answers shamelessly, even reaching out for the garment with grabby fingers.

Gil does her one better, laying it over her preciously and leaning down to kiss her cheek, "fine, but I only get so many of these, y'know."

"Hm," she doesn't reply, inhaling as she pulls the hood up to her chin, "go, you're needed."

He chuckles on his way out the door, "I'm gonna get jealous of that thing."

"Don't," she at least looks at him before he leaves, "it's not as warm as you."

Maybe he should just give up.

He's not some pining schoolboy, desperate to hold her hand in the hallway. He likes what they have, and he liked it even before the sex. She will always be enough for him.

He catches the increasingly familiar scent of vanilla as she sits down with her coffee. He looks at her, a pen behind her ear and vanilla latte in her hand and crumbs of power bar on her lip.

She doesn't even blink as he wipes her crumbs away for her, "thanks."

"You're off in 10, right?" he guesses, still taking her in carefully as she flips through charts.

"Mmhm," she confirms as she scribbles a truly horrendous signature on paper after paper. "You?"

"Same," he confirms. He tilts his head to look at her better, "vanilla again?"

"Hm," she brings the cup up to her lips. She's barely listening.

"You really like it suddenly, huh?"

"Well, you said-"

He looks at her more closely, and now she's aware of what she's said. She's aware of her mistake. He leans closer, and she looks away from him more. "I said what?"

"Nothing," she mumbles, trying to bury herself between the pages of charts.

"Nu-uh," he chuckles, even pulling the completed charts away from her. He tilts his head further down, catching her trying to avoid his eyes. "What did I say?"

She fidgets a little now that her hands are bereft of distraction. "You just...mentioned that you like it, is all."

He doesn't even remember it, he must have said it so casually, just in passing. He grins, "the vanilla lattes, the shampoo--the candle at your place?"

She huffs, obviously embarrassed, "and? I happen to like it too!"

Gil's smile continues to grow, which he knows isn't helping her feel less embarrassed. But he adores her--he loves this woman so much. He leans in, kissing her cheek, "aw, honey."

Thena squirms, pushing his face away from hers as colour rises in her cheeks, "ugh, it's not a big deal."

Gil lets her press her fingers to his lips, because even that's still a kiss. His heart is skipping around happily in his chest and he realises now is the time. "Hey."

She peeks at him anxiously, still blushing faintly, "hm?"

"I'm off," he begins and she nods at the obvious being pointed out. He gestures, "you're off."

She nods, still not getting it.

"You wanna...?"

She tilts her head at him, "get...food? My place or yours?"

He leans closer, and he catches that look she gets sometimes when he leans in close but doesn't do anything more. She looks flustered. "I was thinking...out."

"Out?"

"Out."

"Like," she blinks and looks away from him again, not that there's anywhere to go with them just sitting on a gurney parked by the elevators. "Go...out?"

He can lead his Thena to water, but he can't make her say it. He pulls her hand into his, clasping their fingers together, "like a date. What do you say?"

He asks it gently, and if she says no, he'll let it go completely. He'll never bring it up again. He might need a few days to lie around his apartment and listen to breakup ballads, but he'll never bring it up again.

Thena looks down at their hands, that lovely rouge coming back to her cheeks. She nods, and if he weren't watching her so closely, he might miss it. She swallows, "okay."

"Yeah?" he asks, and the Goddess of War refuses to meet his eye as she nods again, more clearly this time. "Dinner?"

She nods again, letting go of his hand and standing off the gurney. "I, uh, I'll need to-"

He just stares with a dumb grin as her hands flutter around her. He's pretty sure she means she has to get ready, although he'd be happy to go to a five star restaurant with her in scrubs. "Sure--I'll pick you up at home?"

She nods, holding her charts desperately as she makes it partway down the hall. "Right."

"Half an hour?" he suggests, enamoured with the sight of her nearly tripping as she finally turns away from him.

"An hour!"

She doesn't need all that time, but he supposes he can go home and shower and shave, throw on some cologne. Maybe he can pick up some flowers for her on his way. She likes roses.

Sixth time's the charm.

#Thenamesh Doctor AU #I love these idiots so much #idiots in love #work spouses at their finest #Gil is out here wondering if Thena has feelings for him #meanwhile Thena overheard Gil mention to Kingo that he likes the smell of vanilla #and goes and buys a candle and shampoo and replaces all her coffee pods at home with vanilla flavours #she doesn't have it bad you have it bad! #Ajak asks her if she's trying something new and she just avoids the whole ass question #poor Ajak has witnessed everything of course #and she knows #she doesn't have evidence but she knows #people who have been intimate aren't good at pretending they haven't been #not that these two weren't making ooey-gooey heart eyes at each other before anyway #also I have been wanting to bring in Eros more #I think it's hilarious that they are his villain origin story #and they have no idea #like he has been in love with Thena and she wouldn't be able to remember his last name for all the money in the world #he's out here seeing Gil as a rival and Gil is just like oh yeah Eros he doesn't like me but I don't know why #the man is madly in love with your wife sir